Evacuation orders lifted for residents of Idyllwild and Pine Cove Sunday morning, after the Cranston Fire burned through 13,000 acres since its start last Wednesday.

The wildire continued to burn in the San Jacinto Mountains for a fifth day, but fire officials say it's nowhere near as active as it was a few days ago. Nearby businesses and sites were beginning to open.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is slated to reopen on Monday; it was closed last week after the fire started. Long Valley hiking trails will also reopen on Monday.

Firefighters who once filled roads within the burn area have been replaced by other utility workers assisting in recovery efforts. Tree trimmers are clearing areas around utility lines to restore power to Deer Park Lane, where several homes were destroyed last week.

The bulk of firefighters' efforts focused on a rural area east of Lake Hemet and even those burn areas were hardly active compared to previous days, Cal Fire Capt. Fernando Herrera said.

Riverside County building and safety officials inspected several homes on Deer Foot Lane and red-tagged those that were destroyed in the fire. For several hours, they checked homes for propane tanks, ammunition, "and anything that's a hazardous material or has potential to be one," said Michelle Kelly, emergency management program supervisor for the Riverside County Emergency Management Department.

Idyllwild and Pine Cove residents are able to return home with proof of residency via Highway 234; Highway 74 is closed indefinitely. The evacuation order for Garner Valley was also lifted on Sunday.

Residents began making their way back up Highway 243, orange slips on their dashboards indicating they were allowed back into the restricted zones. Firefighters sitting outside their trucks waved as people waved and yelled their thanks to them.

By 1 p.m., one family returned to Deer Foot Lane where several buildings were destroyed.

The road was still closed to traffic and the Grove family parked on a side street, only unloading a large bag of cat food. As they walked to their home, they said their main goal was to feed their cats they left behind.

The father, Bob Grove, explained the family was in Palm Desert when they learned about the fire Wednesday afternoon and "hustled up" to Idyllwild.

When they got home, ashes fell from the sky as flames roared around the neighborhood. Their six cats hid during the commotion and the family had no choice but to leave them behind.

"That sickened us as we left," Grove said.

The family stayed with relatives in Garner Valley, only to be evacuated from there. They spent time in Palm Desert and learned through news and social media that their home was fine. They interacted with other evacuees at the Hampton Suites and were treated well by staff.

"Everyone rallied together," Grove said.

The family came home Sunday to two cats waiting at their front door. The other four came out once the family shook a bag of treats. Their two fish died.

They weren't the only ones eager to return home.

Friends and neighbors greeted one another outside the Village Market, one of the only shops open in Idyllwild Sunday. Smoke was visible from where the fire still burned and the sound of helicopters flying towards the blaze to drop more water cut through greetings and inquiries about homes and pets.

Some loaded bags of ice, water, soda and produce into their cars as others checked a sign with fire information, seeing which roads were still closed, where the fire was still burning and tips on what to do if the power is still out when they get home.

Robert Deville and Paige Tyley look out at the Deville family's horses after they were brought back to Garner Valley, July 29, 2018. Garner Valley was evacuated on Friday as the Cranston Fire threatened the area.
Zoe Meyers/The Desert Sun

Kyle Stephens and Carra Mathewsod with Riverside County Animal Services bring food for a cat at the request of the home owner who was evacuated because of the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018 near Idyllwild.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Kyle Stephens and Carra Mathewsod with Riverside County Animal Services bring food for pets at the request of the home owner who was evacuated because of the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Idyllwild.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Kyle Stephens and Carra Mathewsod with Riverside County Animal Services bring food for pets at the request of the home owner who was evacuated because of the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Idyllwild.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Kyle Stephens and Carra Mathewsod with Riverside County Animal Services feed chickens and a turkey on a property near McCall Park Rd. Animal services are caring a number animal who's owners have evacuate due to the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Kyle Stephens and Carra Mathewsod with Riverside County Animal Services feed chickens and a turkey on a property near McCall Park Rd. Animal services are caring a number animal who's owners have evacuate due to the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Riverside County Animal Services feed chickens and a turkey on a property near McCall Park Rd. Animal services are caring a number animal who's owners have evacuate due to the Cranston Fire. Photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Ryan Long, the interim shelter manager at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus plays with a evacuated dog from the Cranston Fire on Thursday, July 26, 2018 in San Jacinto. The shelter has received 15 cats and 26 dogs from the fire according to Long. Some were brought in by their owners and some by emergency responders.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

A cat evacuated from the Cranston Fire at the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus on Thursday, July 26, 2018 in San Jacinto. The shelter has received 15 cats and 26 dogs from the fire according to Ryan Long, the interim shelter manager at the shelter. Some were brought in by their owners and some by emergency responders.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

Dave Miller was greeted by a friend in the parking lot who asked if he stayed the whole time.

“Nah,” Miller said. “I gotta sleep at night.”

He said he took his two dogs to Banning for a few days after the fire started, but then moved to a hotel in Palm Springs before returning to his home in Pine Cove Sunday. He said his house was undamaged.

As of Sunday evening, the wildfire burned 13,130 acres and about 57 percent of it had been contained. Officials expect full containment by Aug. 9. Less than 600 people still could not return to their homes Sunday, down from more than 7,000 before some of the evacuation orders were lifted.

Miller thought the Cranston Fire was worse than the destructive Mountain Fire from 2013.

“This one was way worse, I think. It came up into town a little bit,” he said.

He said he came by the market to pick up groceries. He had asked his neighbor, who didn’t evacuate, to clean out his fridge and freezer a few days ago when he heard his home lost power.

Diana Desrosiers said she and her husband evacuated, the first time they had left their Idyllwild Arts home during a fire since 1997.

“I work in Banning and I was already at work,” when the evacuation orders were issued, she said. “I didn’t have a choice.”

The couple’s four dogs were evacuated by friends. One was taken in by a relative. The other three were taken care of by Desrosier’s roommate, who stayed in Beaumont during the evacuation order.

She said she was worried about their home, since it was close to the fire line, but that it did not sustain any damage.

As the day went on, some residents were seen returning to their home on Deer Foot Lane. Their house was fine, but their garage was destroyed. They didn't want to talk.